Harlem Needle Arts – Blossom of Fiber Festival – some images

If you happened to be in NYC the last week of June, you know what a scorcher it was. When people ask me “what kind of artist am I”, the answer is twofold (and sometimes a source of puzzlement, but not to those who embrace the world through a multi-faceted lens)… I am a singer and a fiber artist. That week, I had the pleasure of indulging in both identities: giving a concert in a gorgeous old stone church with the most amazing acoustic, but that has, alas, no AC… THAT will put one’s technique to the test…. the high B’s are on auto pilot and fly/float shockingly well when you rely on the technique under your belt and the main goal remains to not pass out in the – truly not kidding here – hundred degrees of heat. The other thing on the agenda for moi-meme that week was the Harlem Needle Arts Annual Exhibition… Blossom of Fiber Festival in St. Nicholas Park, allowing me to indulge in that part of the artistry as well. I think that part of the enjoyment/balance of these two forms of art-making for me are the yin/yang of them in that one is a bit more ethereal and elusive (even the one can listen to/watch a recording of a performance, it’s never the same as being in that space and feeling the shared experience of performer and audience) while the other (knitting with sticks and strings and seeing the idea become manifest) is clearly more tangible to the eye and to the touch. And (here’s a truly important factor) the physically manifested work continues to exist after the artist leaves the room. You can stop by any old time and see it. Not so with the music, whose constantly echoing and dividing and seeming-to-be-disappearing sound waves are quite quickly inaudible to our humble and limited human ears.

But, I digress…

Now, at the end of July, the weather has finally “broken” as they say. In fact, it’s feeling quite autumnal, if one were pressed to find a descriptor. And I don’t mind being pressed, after having felt so oppressed by the heat until now. It goes without saying that there’s a relationship between the abating of the heat and the fact that I’ve finally found time/energy to go through some photos of the HNA Exhibition. So… sans further ado…. Find here a bunch of photos of that hot, fiber-filled day in St. Nicholas Park in Manhattan. Also, look for more photos on the Harlem Needle Arts Facebook Page and hit that magic “Like” button to hear more about upcoming comings/goings/happenings.

Knitted (the stems) and Crocheted (the puffs) Pussy Willows. On display in St. Nicholas Park. I love the organic and the hard metal in juxtaposition.

The willows reaching to the sky over St. Nicholas Park. You can see a snippet of City College in the background.

Close up on the pussy willows. I am reminded of the ditches in MN where they grew wild (I guess wherever they are prone to grow and there is a place of standing water to nourish their growth is an amenable environment).

Close up of the knitted pussy willows. The puffs are circles morphed into crescents and made from llama (from the gorgeous Pearl Chin of Knitty City).

No, those are not tears (of joy or otherwise, although I DID garner some praise and won 2nd place on these knitted willows. Cool, huh?). Rather, the water on my face is from the heat. What’s the favored term… I guess I was “glistening”. Yes, MA’MAM, it was “purt near a hunert degrees” all weekend.

One of the flowers from the exhibition (not mine, I must point out… not wanting to falsely take credit for this piece… such skill shown by all the artists!). In the background, you’ll note the street sign for 135th and St. Nick. Right off the B/C local trains. That’s where you’ll find us next June (2014) for the 5th annual.

Batches of blooms (the second day of this outdoor event, we had a bit of rain, so the works were clustered and sheltered from the rain).

Batches of blooms (the second day of this outdoor event, we had a bit of rain, so the works were clustered and sheltered from the rain).

The base covered in Broomstick, the stem of i-cord, the leaves of Hairpin Lace Crochet, twisitng their way up to the (someone called it “Dali-inspired” how did they know?) bloom on the crown of this sculpture.

I love taking shot of the fleurs against the sky. We had a GORGEOUS one above us this time around (Mother Nature shines on the group each year… and likely again next year… knock on wood, or terra cotta… the pots we use as a unifying theme for our individual works).

I used hairpin lace technique to create the leaves for one of my fleurs. Here they are, gathered into loops, hence the title “All caught up and Loopy” not JUST a commentary on my busy week…

I used hairpin lace technique to create the leaves for one of my fleurs.

I used hairpin lace technique to create the leaves for one of my fleurs.

It’s interesting to note what different viewers see. One friend (who does not knit) offered comments on this flower leading me to understand that she sees it as being built of units different from those elements I see. I love hearing what is in the eye of various beholders. Those lookers-at-this who know how to knit might let their eye linger over the intersecting stitches of lightest pink and medium rose. For that, I used a slip stitch technique for a few rows – which also altered/tightened the circumference a wee bit.